Fictional Characters Who Remind You of Eli

[a_contemplative_life]

Felina, the 'little leftover witch' in the book of the same name by Florence McLaughlin (1960). Felina's broom breaks on Halloween night and she is left behind by all the grown-up witches. A little girl named Lucinda befriends her, and she gradually becomes a member of the girl's human family, who adopt her at the end. It is a loose analogy to Eli, but it is a story of a how a little homeless monster is transformed by love into a genuine human being. This is a favorite story of mine since childhood, and my kids now enjoy it.

http://www.amazon.com/Little-Leftover-W ... 0027545601

[TΛPETRVE]

Two words: Peter Pan (The literary original written by J.M. Barrie, not the fabric softened Disney version!), or rather Peter Pan's perfectly perverted parallel persona.

[gattoparde59]

Two words: Peter Pan (The literary original written by J.M. Barrie, not the fabric softened Disney version!), or rather Peter Pan's perfectly perverted parallel persona.

OK, I'll buy that. Peter Pan does have a dark side to it.

Actually all three characters mentioned so far are lost children in some way. The Little Witch gets adopted by the family. Eli gets "adopted" by Oskar. Peter Pan pointedly refuses adoption, although he does try to create a little surrogate family with children he has stolen away from their parents.

The fictional character I have thought of is Carl Childers from Slingblade. Carl is both a monster, and a lost child who is adopted by the boy and his mother in the story. Like Eli, Carl suffered horrific abuse as a child and had his child hood effectively stolen from him. Carl forms a very close friendship with the boy (beautifully played by Lucas Black). At the end Carl, in the guise of the monster, saves the boy and his mother from the bully of the story. Carl does not look at all like Eli, but I see very close parallels between him and Eli.

[abner_mohl]

Smeagol/Gollum from Lord of the Rings. Like Eli he is living with the consequences of being cursed with long life, tired and struggling to retain what humanity both have left.

[sauvin]

Smeagol/Gollum from Lord of the Rings. Like Eli he is living with the consequences of being cursed with long life, tired and struggling to retain what humanity both have left.

I don't remember that Smeagol was concerned with retaining his humanity (hobbithood? hobbitliness?) at all until Bilbo Frodo came along, though. Cursed with long life, yes, and a miserable one at that, but Gollum's possession by the Ring was total, whereas Eli seems never to have forgotten that she was once human, even if she can't be fully human anymore. It could be argued that Eli spent a couple of centuries looking for something (without knowing what), but Gollum, it seems to me, sought only to exist and to retain his Precioussssss.

[hillerr]

How about Homer Simpson as Hakan?

[sauvin]

How about Homer Simpson as Hakan?

Feh, Homer only lusts for a donut. Eli would emotionally overpower such an oversized child in about two minutes flat.

[abner_mohl]

Smeagol/Gollum from Lord of the Rings. Like Eli he is living with the consequences of being cursed with long life, tired and struggling to retain what humanity both have left.

I don't remember that Smeagol was concerned with retaining his humanity (hobbithood? hobbitliness?) at all until Bilbo Frodo came along, though. Cursed with long life, yes, and a miserable one at that, but Gollum's possession by the Ring was total, whereas Eli seems never to have forgotten that she was once human, even if she can't be fully human anymore. It could be argued that Eli spent a couple of centuries looking for something (without knowing what), but Gollum, it seems to me, sought only to exist and to retain his Precioussssss.

Good point, bad comparison.

[drakkar]

Pippi Långstrump (Pippi Longstocking), another Swede.
Can't explain why, but it was the first character popping up in my mind as i was reading the thread title.
Pippi is a child, she has immense strength, and she lives alone. She has of course no issues with the sun, but she has a few with society (altough less severe).




And the remake :

[covenant6452]

DANGIT! I was gonna say Pippi! She was MY girlfriend when I was a child afterall!